The chief developer of Final Fantasy 14 has warned the coronavirus outbreak has put a dent in the game's development schedule.
Producer and director Naoki Yoshida issued a
https://www.lolga.com/final-fantasy-xiv-gil statement online, confirming the MMO's next big patch could be delayed by a month.
Yoshida said Final Fantasy 14 relies heavily on its development and quality assurance partners across the world, "and at this point, we must accept that the situation will significantly impact our development schedule".
There are multiple reasons for this delay, Yoshida explained. The lockdown in cities in East Asia, North America and Europe has delayed the delivery of graphical assets and voice recording. Working from home puts limitations on Tokyo staff, and means production and QA teams are operating "well below normal capacity".
So, patch 5.3, which
https://www.lolga.com was planned for mid-June, will be delayed, Yoshida confirmed, although he's unsure whether it will be delayed by two or three weeks, or a month.
"We are terribly sorry for the disappointment this may cause our players, as we know you look forward to new patches," Yoshida said.
"However, it is also important to prioritise the physical and mental health of our development team, without whom we would never be able to release the quality updates and features you expect from FF14, so we Final Fantasy XIV Gil ask for your understanding as we adjust our schedule in accordance with the situation."
The coronavirus outbreak has sent shockwaves throughout the video game industry, with video game shops shuttered, a number of events cancelled, and indefinite delays to PlayStation exclusives The Last of Us 2 and Iron Man VR. More delays are expected.
